Author: Austin Craig

Austin Craig has worked with companies around the world exploring how emerging technology impacts the way we work and live. As an adjunct professor in Computer Science at Bradley University, Austin also helps tomorrow's leaders understand the influence technology will have on our future society.

I was recently on the Wikipedia page for Peoria when I spotted a claim that I always found to be tenuous at best: that Charles A. Lindbergh asked Peoria to underwrite his trans-Atlantic flight and that the plane would have been named “The Spirit of Peoria.” The claim had no citation to authority and sounded like wishful, revisionist history to me. I was tempted to click “edit” and eliminate the claim, but I decided that I had an obligation to research the claim before making the edit.

I have always been a big fan of wikis–web pages that allow everyone to edit information quickly and easily. Contrary to popular opinion, wikis like Wikipedia are not intended to be used to publish original information, but rather are intended to change how people collaborate on organizing existing information. While it may be true that sites like Wikipedia can be abused to create mis-information, the site is far more likely to eliminate mis-information by forcing multiple conflicting sources of information to be reconciled with each other.

All this said, just like how one shares the roads with fellow drivers, a person is expected to follow rules on Wikipedia–and when people don’t follow those rules, the truth can get lost. One of the key rules to follow is that facts included in articles should be cited to a credible authority. Everyone has likely heard stories about the kinds of inaccuracies that can exist on Wikipedia when facts are not properly vetted, but I believe that any such inaccuracies on a wiki are typically spotted and corrected far more quickly than with traditional media.

For example, I was recently on the Wikipedia page for Peoria when I spotted a claim that I always found to be tenuous at best: that Charles A. Lindbergh asked Peoria to underwrite his trans-Atlantic flight and that the plane would have been named “The Spirit of Peoria.” The claim had no citation to authority and sounded like wishful, revisionist history to me. I was tempted to click “edit” and eliminate the claim, but I decided that I had an obligation to do some research before making the edit.

Lindbergh himself published exhaustive accounts of how he became the first person to fly over the Atlantic. His first major account was “We,” a book he wrote in late 1927 that was syndicated by the New York Times and appeared in newspapers all across the country. The second was “The Spirit of St. Louis,” his 1954 Pulitzer Prize-winning book that gave even more details about how his famous flight took shape.

After reviewing Lindbergh’s own accounts, I find a claim that his plane was almost named “The Spirit of Peoria” to be dubious. Not only do Lindbergh’s own accounts show that his focus was on his adopted hometown of St. Louis from the very beginning, but Lindbergh tells the story about how Harold Bixby, head of the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, first suggested the name “The Spirit of St. Louis” when handing over the $15,000 check to pay for the airplane.

The irony about romanticizing the more speculative aspects of Lindbergh’s Peoria connections is that it causes us to lose focus on the real historic ties to Lindbergh. In the opening scene of the 1957 movie “The Spirit of St. Louis,” “Slim” Lindbergh (played by Jimmy Stewart) brings his surplus World War I biplane in for a landing at a little cow pasture called the Peoria air mail field. In the 1954 book that the film is based on, Lindbergh tells with great detail how he took off from Peoria and came up with the grandiose idea of being the first person to fly across the Atlantic.

So, while there is apparently no credible support for a claim that the first trans-Atlantic plane was almost named “The Spirit of Peoria,” Lindbergh himself states that he came up with the idea of flying across the Atlantic not far from where Peoria’s Lindbergh Middle School sits today. Central Illinois has a lot of connections to Charles A. Lindbergh, but almost having his famous plane named after Peoria is not one of them. As such, I made my edit to Wikipedia, citing the authority of “Slim” Lindbergh himself.

CHRISTOPHER GLENN is a Peoria-based technology futurist, inventor, author, lecturer and entrepreneur. He can be reached at christopher.j.glenn@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @NetThink.

Brokerage companies, the military and Fortune 500 companies have been using two-factor authentication for years. Facebook and Google now offer two-factor authentication as well. While two-factor may seem like a pain, the alternative of having your digital life taken over is far worse.

This past week, a senior writer for Wired had his whole life hacked–and he used the occassion to espouse the merits of two-factor authentication. When a web site requires two factors to authenticate you (the two factors are typically "something you have" and "something you know"), it is far more difficult for someone to impersonate you–because your password (the "something you know" factor) is only the first step of the authentication process.

Brokerage companies, the military and Fortune 500 companies have been using two-factor authentication for years. In such implementations, the "something you have" is often a fob with a pseudo-random sequence of digits. The system I have used the most is called SecurID, whereby the digits on the fob change every sixty seconds and need to be entered along with your password to verify that it is really you who is trying to log in. The reason such systems are not more widely available is cost–the fobs themselves are typically $20-$40 each with the accompanying infrastructure adding a monthly cost on top of that.

Banks are now required by law to use two-factor authentication, but most have resorted to a two-step "something you know" followed by "something you know" approach. This isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing. One of my banks, after asking my password, plays an audio file along with the picture. If the sound effect is not the one I chose for that picture, I am supposed to know it's a phishing site. This is better than nothing, because "keyloggers" (virus programs that capture the passwords you type into web sites) rarely attempt to record audio.

In 2010, I penned a blog post entitled "You're Welcome, Zuck … Mobile Devices as Authentication Tokens," in which I argued that if social authorities take over authentication, they must implement two-factor authentication. My concern was that if people started using the "Log In with Facebook" feature on third party sites, they would be entrusting Facebook to authenticate their identity all across the web. In other words, with single-factor authentication, if someone got your Facebook password, they could take over your digital life. While I doubt my "You're Welcome (for the idea)" blog post was the impetus for Facebook's subsequent implementation of two-factor authentication using mobile phones, I'd like to think it fanned the flames a little bit.

Google now offers two-factor authentication as well. With Google, every time I log into the site from a new device, I am sent a six-digit verification code via SMS. In other words, the "something I have" factor is my phone, so if I ever lose my phone, I will be without email service until I get a new phone up and running with my old phone number assigned to it. While this might seem like a potential nightmare–the alternative of having your digital life taken over is far worse (especially if you don't have much of an analog life any more). Furthermore, unless your are a senior writer for Wired, I doubt companies like Apple, Google and Facebook would do much to help restore your identity if your account was compromised.

CHRISTOPHER GLENN is a Peoria-based technology futurist, inventor, author, lecturer and entrepreneur. He can be reached at christopher.j.glenn@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @NetThink.

After entering your password, a six-digit SMS can be sent to your cell phone as the second factor to authenticate your identity.

If you work in media or technology, Google+ may give a glimpse of what’s to come in social networks.

While Google+ doesn’t compete in terms of numbers with Facebook, it is heavily used by the technology elite–the so called “technorati.” There are a number of innovative features that techies use–but the most interesting feature I have been playing around with is the “hangouts” feature.

A Google+ hangout is sort of like a group Skype call, but it also integrates applications such as group games, document collaboration and group video viewing (such as watching a YouTube video together with friends). The biggest drawback right now is how few of my friends use Google+. While the social destination is growing rapidly and now has an estimated 200 million users, it is questionable whether G+ will ever reach the critical mass it needs to be successful.

At some point, I want to hold an inaugural “hangout” with my friends and followers to try out some of the features, but I need some more people in my Google+ circles first. If you are not on Google+ yet, head over and start exploring. Feel free to add me to a circle if you want to connect online. If you work in media or technology, it may give a glimpse of what’s to come in social networks.

CHRISTOPHER GLENN is a Peoria-based technology futurist, inventor, author, lecturer and entrepreneur. He can be reached at christopher.j.glenn@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @NetThink.

Today, Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new law that would make it illegal for employers to ask job candidates for passwords to social networking accounts. The bill was sponsored by State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) and Senate Minority Leader Christine Rodogno (R-Lemont). The new law will take effect January 1st.

This past Spring, students in my Computers & Society class at Bradley University brought up the topic of potential employers asking for their Facebook passwords as part of the screening process. I knew for a long time that employers were checking social networking sites as part of employee background checks–but that some were actually asking for Facebook passwords shocked me.

Many people create privacy profiles online that allow them to share private information with close friends and family–such as their struggle with a new medical diagnosis, the challenges of old age or the exploration of their religious beliefs. All of these areas would be taboo if they were the subject of questions at a job interview–so why would employers think it was O.K. to ask for a job applicant’s Facebook password?

Today, Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new law that would make it illegal for employers to ask job candidates for passwords to social networking accounts. The bill was sponsored by State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) and Senate Minority Leader Christine Rodogno (R-Lemont). The new law will take effect January 1st.

Potential employers can still see what you've made public on Facebook, so it's always a good idea to review and prune what's out there before you begin a job search. On Facebook, you can click on the "cogswheel" that represents settings to use the "View As…" feature. This will allow you to see what your profile looks like to the public, friends of friends, or any even any specific friend.

CHRISTOPHER GLENN is a Peoria-based technology futurist, inventor, author, lecturer and entrepreneur. He can be reached at christopher.j.glenn@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @NetThink.

A few years ago, as if on a challenge, I tried to find a sixth grade classmate from Japan, who I assume was attending my grade school because his parents were exchange students or visiting professors at a nearby University. Now connected on facebook, I can click “translate” and see Hiro’s posts in English.

When Facebook was starting to reach a critical mass, I started to use it to find long lost friends. A few years ago, as if on a challenge, I tried to find a sixth grade classmate from Japan, who I assume was attending my grade school because his parents were exchange students or visiting professors at a nearby University.

I searched for Hiroyuki by name and was able to recognize his Facebook profile picture, even with the added years. He accepted my friend request and I started to follow his updates. Initially, it was difficult to follow any posts without pictures because they were written (I am guessing) in Kanji. Recently however, Facebook has taken advantage of their partnership with Microsoft to provide inline translation.

Now, whenever I see a post from Hiro, I can click “translate” and understand a lot more about what is being shared. The translation is far from perfect, but its a glimpse into a world that I otherwise would not have. I think back to my German pen pal from 7th grade and wonder whether technology like Facebook would have made it easier to maintain that initial connection.

As far as I can tell, Hiro has been travelling quite a bit lately, apparently visiting the Asia Pacific Deaf Olympic Games is Seoul. He also appears to have bought a new paddlebaord that he is "stoked" about. The one funny thing about our online world is that some things still don’t require translation, such as “ >にダ LOL! さ”

CHRISTOPHER GLENN is a Peoria-based technology futurist, inventor, author, lecturer and entrepreneur. He can be reached at christopher.j.glenn@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @NetThink.